Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter
This campaign encapsulates the Ministry of Magic's attempts to discredit, slander, and smear both Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, as well as anyone perceived or believed to be an ally with them. It was put in place on 24 June, 1995 - after the Rebirth of Lord Voldemort and ended on 18 June, 1996 - after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. This campaign was put into place when Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge denied the Dark Lord's return, a fact that would ruin the thirteen years of peace that the Ministry had worked so hard to build and maintain. Instead, due to paranoia, he believed that Dumbledore was trying to usurp his position of Minister for Magic, and not only used the Daily Prophet to make it look as though Dumbledore and Potter were liars and "nutters," but also stripped Dumbledore of many of his titles and statuses: Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, the Order of Merlin, and eventually the Headmastership of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, for supporting Dumbledore and being the one who claimed Voldemort returned, also suffered from this campaign. Fudge planted Dolores Umbridge as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor and headmistress in order to further destabilise Dumbledore and Harry. Fudge also made it clear that anyone siding with Dumbledore should clear out their desks in the Ministry's office. Due to the great influence the Ministry had, the majority of the wizarding community ceased supporting Dumbledore and Harry and lost a chance to prepare themselves against Voldemort. The campaign also pressed the position that Harry was a deluded attention-seeker that could not be trusted. When Voldemort was revealed to have truly returned, Fudge was forced to accept it and to reveal everything to the world, by which time it was too late to prepare. The campaign, along with all the Educational Decrees and Daily Prophet articles that were crafted to fuel it, were all retracted, and Fudge was subsequently dismissed in disgrace. Background information Beginning in 1994, a series of odd occurrences began in the wizarding world. The first of which was the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins in Albania during the early summer.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 5 (Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes) These incidents continued throughout the following months and included the casting of the Dark Mark at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, the scuffle at the home of Alastor Moody, and the mysterious illness and disappearance of Bartemius Crouch Sr. All of these incidents culminated with the events of 24 June, 1995. During the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, the fourth Champion Harry Potter and Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory tied for the Triwizard Cup. When they both touched it, the Cup which had been made into a Portkey, transported them to the Little Hangleton graveyard. Once there, Cedric was killed by Lord Voldemort's servant Peter Pettigrew.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 32 (Flesh, Blood, and Bone) Harry was forced to watch as the Dark Lord was reborn before his eyes. Once the potion had done its work, Harry witnessed Voldemort summon the Death Eaters by pressing Wormtail's Dark Mark.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 33 (The Death Eaters) Later, once he had watched Voldemort berate his Death Eaters for their betrayal and speak of his future plans, he was forced to duel with the Dark Lord. Harry only escaped, because the Priori Incantatem effect protected him. As he was running, Cedric's echo asked Harry to return with his body, which Harry did.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 34 (Priori Incantatem) Upon returning to Hogwarts, Harry continued to clutch Cedric's body, refusing to let go.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 35 (Veritaserum) Once Dumbledore had pulled Harry to his feet, he instructed him to remain there. When Alastor Moody removed Harry from his presence, Dumbledore realised something was wrong. Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape rescued Harry from the impostor Moody. It was revealed that Bartemius Crouch Jr., Crouch Sr.'s only son and Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater, was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Alastor Moody in order to perpetrate a plan for Lord Voldemort. After hearing Crouch's story and Harry's account of the events in the graveyard, Dumbledore could come to no conclusion other than that Lord Voldemort had returned. When Dumbledore informed Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge of the events that had taken place that evening, Fudge believed them to be the work of one deranged madman. When he was taken to question Barty Crouch Jr., the Dementor that accompanied him subjected Crouch to the Dementor's Kiss before he could be actually questioned by Fudge.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways) Fudge regarded this as no loss since he had "been responsible for several deaths!" When Dumbledore pointed out that this meant Crouch could no longer testify as to why he committed his crimes, Fudge stated that Crouch did them because he was a madman. Dumbledore replied that Crouch's crimes had been part of a larger plot to revive Lord Voldemort. Fudge smiled and said that Dumbledore was believing the words of a raving lunatic. Dumbledore proceeded to point out that Harry's account of what happened in the graveyard jived with what Crouch was saying. Fudge smiled again and pointed out that Harry was not necessarily the best source, as he was known to be mentally unstable. Dumbledore replied,in no uncertain terms, that Harry was sane. When the others present began to defend Harry and pointed out Cedric Diggory's death (with even Harry trying to convince Fudge that Voldemort had returned and Snape showing his Dark Mark to Fudge), Fudge shouted that Dumbledore and his staff were working to destabilise thirteen years of peace. Dumbledore then proceeded to give Fudge a string of suggestions to ensure the safety of the wizarding community and to defeat Lord Voldemort. When Fudge replied that his ideas would get him (Fudge) thrown out of office, Dumbledore replied that Fudge loved his office too much and that they had reached a parting of ways. While there was no hint of threat in Dumbledore's voice, Fudge took this as a threat and stormed off telling Dumbledore that they would speak in the morning about his running of Hogwarts. The Campaign Against Albus Dumbledore During the following summer, the Ministry of Magic began to make moves to discredit Dumbledore. After he made a speech to the International Confederation of Wizards announcing Voldemort's return, he was stripped of his title as Supreme Mugwump. It is implied that he was voted out by representatives selected by the Ministry of Magic. They used the excuse that he was going senile in his old age. Soon after, he was removed from his post as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, for much the same reasons. Fudge even threatened to retract the Order of Merlin, First Class, from Dumbledore.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 5 (The Order of the Phoenix) When he appeared as Harry's witness at the disciplinary hearing of Harry Potter, Fudge told him that he considered his (Dumbledore's) views on the Dementor attack "bilge."Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 8 (The Hearing) When Fudge began to slander Harry in front of Dumbledore and the entire Wizengamot talking about Harry's misuse of magic at Hogwarts, Dumbledore pointed out that the Ministry had no right to punish students for what they did at school and could not expel students from school. Fudge took exception to this remark, indicating his want to influence the workings of Hogwarts. He got his wish a few weeks later when Dumbledore could not fill the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. On 30 August, the Ministry passed Educational Decree Number Twenty-Two.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 15 (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor) This established that in the event the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could not find someone to fill a position in his faculty, the Ministry of Magic would appoint someone instead. The following day Fudge appointed his right hand witch, Dolores Umbridge, as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, which he believed would kill two birds with one stone; Fudge now had a spy at Hogwarts, and as he believed Dumbledore was using Hogwarts as a training centre for an army to use against the Ministry, he could enforce a Ministry-approved theory-based curriculum in Defence Against the Dark Arts to prevent students from learning any practical defensive magic.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Chapter 1 - (The Other Minister) and Dumbledore was reinstated as Headmaster. Harry, who had so recently been insulted and slandered by the press, became the darling of newspapers like the Daily Prophet who called him "the lone voice of truth" among ridicule, while failing to mention that it was them doing the ridiculing. The Ministry also had the nerve to ask Harry to be their poster child, that is, convince the public that the Ministry was winning the war against Voldemort, a move both Harry and Dumbledore opposed. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7'' Notes and references Category:Ministry of Magic campaigns Category:Events Category:Second Wizarding War Category:Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter